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“As long as I’m healthy, as long as I’m feeling good, I think all the other stuff will take care of itself,” he said Wednesday. “The way I feel, the way I’m playing catch, the way the ball’s coming out, I’m anticipating good things and I don’t see why with the next however many days we have left that I can’t get there.”

Janssen, 32, has been nursing soreness in the back of his right shoulder for the last three weeks, but is scheduled to see his first game action on Friday in Port Charlotte against the Tampa Bay Rays. He threw live batting practice on Tuesday and said his arm felt good.

“It was good to get on the mound, good to face some hitters and compete a little bit.”

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Janssen took it slow last spring as well — after undergoing minor shoulder surgery to shave down a part of his collarbone — and while he couldn’t pitch on back-to-back days early in the season, he was still effective.

In fact, over the last two seasons, during which Janssen has converted 56 of 61 save opportunities, he has been among the 20 most valuable relievers in the majors, according to Fangraphs’ Wins Above Replacement.

He may not profile as a typical closer — he doesn’t throw hard and had among the lowest swinging-strike rates of any qualified reliever — but he attacks hitters with multiple pitches, locates well and makes a habit of getting ahead in the count. He threw first-pitch strikes to nearly two-thirds of the batters he faced last season, for example.

Earlier in his career, when he was fighting for a job, Janssen says he might’ve been more antsy about not getting into a game this close to the season. But not anymore. He doesn’t take his job for granted, but he knows his health and the process is what’s most important.

Manager John Gibbons would like Janssen to pitch in at least four games — including once on back-to-back days — before the season starts.

Last year, Janssen anchored what was arguably the best bullpen in the majors through the first half of the season. Their heavy workload caught up to them in the second half, but the Jays’ bullpen figures to be a strength once again, with Janssen joining hard-throwing righties Steve Delabar, Sergio Santos and Dustin McGowan; the reborn Brett Cecil and ever-dependable Aaron Loup on the left side; and either Todd Redmond or Esmil Rogers in the long relief/swingman role.

Meanwhile, the Jays’ rotation continues to be a concern.

J.A. Happ, currently pegged to open the season among the starting five, put up another uninspiring performance on Wednesday against the Philadelphia Phillies. He lasted just 2.2 innings, giving up three runs on three hits and four walks, throwing fewer than half of his 71 pitches for strikes.

“Fortunately it’s not the end of the world here, but they’re going to count soon,” he said. “But I feel like I still have time. I got past 70 pitches today. I felt strong. I have a couple more outings and we’ll try to fine-tune some things.”

Happ has two more starts to right himself, but if his struggles continue he could be unseated by either Rogers or Redmond. Then again, they aren’t having sparkling springs either, and Gibbons was loathe to broach the subject Wednesday.

“I’m looking forward to his next start,” he said. “That’s all I have to say.”

After Happ’s exit, the Jays’ offence exploded for 11 runs — including Jose Bautista’s fourth and fifth homers of the spring and a three-hit performance from second baseman Ryan Goins — en route to an 11-6 defeat of the Phillies.

Gibbons said he knows his team will score runs this season, but their starting pitching must be better.

“We don’t have to have a shutdown rotation,” he said. “Just keep us in the game and somewhat match the opposition and let the offence take over.”

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